FOR RELEASE     #07-227
October 23, 2007

WHITEHORSE – Community Services Minister Glenn Hart, and Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang have approved 28 FireSmart projects to share in $800,744 of new funding.

FireSmart funds projects that help reduce the threat posed by wildfire in and around Yukon communities. This winter's FireSmart projects will take place in nearly every Yukon community.

"Apart from protecting communities, FireSmart is also about fostering and maintaining healthy forests," Lang said. "Thinning out underbrush and removing dead and rotten timber encourages new growth to take root, which in turn supports an overall healthier eco-system."

"The FireSmart program is now well established in Yukon," Hart said. "The many benefits of the FireSmart program are well understood and supported by First Nations, community associations and local governments who each year perform FireSmart work in and around their communities."

FireSmart funds community projects that focus on removing deadfall, vegetation debris and other forest fuels; thinning trees, and planting less flammable tree species. FireSmart also funds projects that help communities develop long-term wildfire safety plans, create firebreaks, and make roadways more accessible for fire-fighting equipment. The program also puts Yukoners to work by supporting the use of local resources and skills.

First Nation governments, municipalities, school councils, community associations and registered non-profit societies are eligible to apply for funding under the FireSmart program.

The FireSmart program handbook is available at Yukon public libraries, the Government of Yukon Inquiry Desk in Whitehorse, the Wildland Fire Management District Offices in rural communities, or from the Yukon government web site.

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Below: List of approved FireSmart projects